Water Resource Management

Counties face numerous water quality challenges that can be mitigated through various strategies, especially decision making processes that integrate land use planning to water resource management.   Protecting drinking water supplies, providing citizens with effective sewage and water infrastructure, restoring wetlands, and managing water in situations of drought are all critical issues facing counties.  In addition, water resources, such as rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, wetlands and various other water bodies, are valuable assets whose proper management is a key component to all water quality solutions.  Counties are protecting this green infrastructure through the use of tools such as watershed planning, GIS decision support tools, community-based restoration projects, regulations, and various other techniques. 

NACo's water program is designed to help counties improve water quality and water resource management.  With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NACo offers a range of services to help county officials protect water resources on the local level.  

NACo’s water program offers financial and technical assistance to counties in the following areas: 

For more information on NACo's water quality services, please contact the appropriate staff person listed below:

• Watersheds, Wetlands, GIS Tool Program and Five Star Restoration Program - Carrie Clingan at (202) 942-4246 or cclingan@naco.org
• Coastal Counties Restoration Initiative - Carrie Clingan at (202) 942-4246 or cclingan@naco.org or ccri@naco.org
• Stormwater and Wastewater - Carrie Clingan at (202) 942-4246 or cclingan@naco.org

07/19/2007 - Water Isn’t Free: Managing Water Infrastructure and Supply Issues
View a description and presentations from this NACo Annual Conference Educational Session.

07/19/2007 - Murky Water: Local Wetland Regulation Options Amidst Federal Uncertainty
View the description and presentations from this NACo Annual Conference Educational Session.

07/19/2007 - Unexpected Events: Katrina and Rita Case Study by IBTS (pdf)
This presentation was delivered to the Coastal Wetlands Working Group and the Energy, Environment and Land Use Steering Committee during NACo's 2007 Annual Conference

01/08/2009 - Coastal Counties Restoration Initiative
Information on NACo's Coastal Counties Restoration Initiative Grant Program

07/31/2008 - Five Star Restoration Challenge Grants
Grant funding for community-based wetland and streambank restoration projects is available through the Five Star Program. This page contains resources to help your community learn about the program and apply.

06/03/2008 - TMDLs/Water Quality Technical Assistance
NACo has received new funding from the EPA to help county officials protect water quality in their communities. This page contains updates about NACo's Water Quality Assistance, links to issue briefs, Web sites and other resources.

08/08/2008 - NACo Water Quality Newsletter
NACo's Water Quality Newsletter highlights funding opportunities, publications, policy news and conferences relevant to county water quality issues.

06/19/2007 - County Water Quality Issue Brief: Using GIS Tools To Link Land Use Decisions to Water Resource Protection (pdf)
This newly updated issue brief provides a list of commonly used GIS tools available to help county leaders link land use decisions to water resource protection. In addition, five county case studies are profiled and a new tools assessment section evaluates some commonly available tools.

05/21/2007 - County Wetlands Data Guidebook (pdf)
This guidebook provides a practical introduction to wetlands data for county officials. It includes general information on wetlands and information on how to obtain and utilize wetlands data and maps for county purposes.

01/03/2007 - Source Water Information Kit for Local Government Officials
This kit is a collection of fact sheets, brochures, technical documents, case studies and other information on the tools, techniques, and strategies to assist county and local officials in protecting local drinking water supplies.

08/15/2006 - County Water Quality Issue Brief: Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) A Watershed Planning Tool For Counties (pdf)
This NACo issue brief is designed to provide county staff and officials with information to help navigate the U.S. EPA's Total Maximum Daily Load Program. Total Maximum Daily Loads have been the impetus for many county-led or supported water quality improvement success stories.

09/28/2007 - New Funding Expands Coastal Grants (pdf)
NACo has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to expand the Coastal Counties Restoration Initiative (CCRI).

07/16/2007 - NACo, NOAA initiate coastal management assistance project
NACo has received new grant funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coastal Services Center (CSC) to help county officials improve the science behind their coastal management decisions.